21st progress report of the Special Representative of the Council of Europe for National Refugees and Over-Population

Recommendation 827 (1978)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 24 January 1978 (21st Sitting) (see Doc. 4083, report of the Committee on Population and Refugees). Text adopted by the Assembly on 24 January 1978 (21st Sitting).

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Having considered the 21st progress report of the Special Representative of the Council of Europe for National Refugees and Over-Population (Doc. 4063) ;

2. Believing that the Council of Europe, because of its membership and vocation, is the most appropriate European framework for strengthening the socio-economic protection of some ten million migrant workers and their families residing in Western Europe, whatever their country of origin ;

3. Considering that the series of measures taken by immigration countries since the oil crisis have stabilised migratory flows at a low level ;

4. Taking note that, while foreign workers have decreased in number in most immigration countries, foreign populations have remained stable or continued to increase there ;

5. Believing, therefore, that the problems of integration of foreign workers in the host country, of family reunion and of second generation migrants have become of prime importance ;

6. Noting that the Committee of Ministers has at last adopted the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers, and hoping that it will be signed and ratified rapidly by all member states ;

7. Intending to examine shortly the provisions of this convention, including the matter of the Assembly's participation in the work of the Consultative Committee to be set up under Article 33 ;

8. Appreciating the key role played by the Special Representative in the drafting of the convention, as well as his more recent work accomplished in favour of migrant workers, which has led to the adoption by the Committee of Ministers :

of Resolution (76) 11, on equal treatment for national and migrant workers with regard to vocational guidance, training and retraining,

of Resolution (76) 12, on the school career and health record for children attending school abroad, and

of Resolution (76) 25, on the model work contract or model contract for the introduction of migrant workers ;

9. Believing that the size of the migration problem would justify placing far greater financial means at the disposal of the Special Representative,

10. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

strengthen the activities of the organisation on behalf of migrant workers and their families, and adapt its structures as necessary ;

act on the recent proposal of the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs and convene in the near future an ad hoc meeting of Ministers responsible for migration questions ;

elaborate further legal instruments for the protection of seasonal and frontier workers, as a complement to the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers ;

enable the Special Representative to study the problems relating to old people in migration, by including this activity in the next Council of Europe Intergovernmental Work Programme ;

seek to strengthen the financial means at the disposal of the Special Representative, so as to implement fully the sections of the medium term plan concerning migrant workers ;

urge the three Council of Europe countries which are not yet members of the Resettlement Fund to accede to it.